The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-05-04
THE OLD SETTLER.
HE ENL1GHTEYs LITTLE PE1Ea

'Grandpop, said little Peleg, as he
fingered stiff-springed patent clothes
pin, and cast glance at the old cat that
lay snoozing in the splint-bottom rock
ing chair, ''Grandpop, said he, ''what
are the wild waves saying2"
The Old Settler looked up from the
pages of the local paper, in which he was
reading an account of a hog guessing
match that had come off over at the Cor
ners. He scowled over his spectacles at
Peleg, who fitted the clothespin carefully
on his nose and closed his mouth to see
how long he could hold his breath.
81 hain't heerd no wild waves a yellin'
anything very loud lately, ez l knows
on, said the Old Settler. (Which wild
waves is it th't-M'riar! Whack that
young'un on the back or he'll bust evrv
gizzard he's got''
Peleg had hung on to his breath until
his eyes began to bulge out, and his face
was as red as his grandfather's nose. He
succumbed to the inevitable before his
grandmother could give him the whack.
He opened his mouth and started his
lungs to working again, but left the
clothespin on his nose His grandfather
glared at him for a moment, and then
said:
off"
''Theb that rips and roars arou'd CO.
ney's Ilud, replied Peleg, his utterance
stopped by the pressure of the clothespiu
on his nose.
The Old Settler reached for his cane.
'Peleg!" exclaimed his grandmother,
take that clothespin often your nose
Ye gimme a cold in the head to hear We
What was We meanin' ter say?"
Peleg removed the clothespin and re-
peated his remark. Them that rips and
roars around Coney's Island; that's what
l said. What are they saying, grand
popl"
"Coney's Islandln exclaimed the Old
Settler. "W'at in Sam Hill do you know
bout Coney's Island, or bout any wild
waves ez mOwt or eZ mowtn't be a rippin'
an a roarin' ?"
"The new school ma'am from town
boards to Bill Simmonss, " replied Peleg,
and tother night she was telling US
about Coney's Island. She's been there
lots, and she told US that she could set
on the bank down there and listen to
what the wild waves was saying all day
long. | asked her what they was saving
and she said: 'Oh! much, little boy .
She didn't say how much or what it was
and asked Bill Simmons if he knowed,
and he said he did but wasn't giving it
away. Go ask yer grandpop,' Bill said.
If ne can't tell you, says Bill, the
worlds coming to an end That's how
come to ask you, grandpop. Can't you
tell me2n
''Yes, b'gosh, l kim" exclaimed the
Old Settler, shaking his fist in the direc-
tion Of the Simmons homestead II kin
tell ye! Them wild waves is sayin', an
they're yoopin' it out SOS it kin be heerd
from COney's Island to sundOwn, th't the
bes' thing you kin do is to keep shet o.
that Bill Simmons, OF THAI a shingle out
thar in the yard that'll make the proper
est kind Of paddle, an if that paddle is
made an used you'll hef TO stan up fer
more'n a week wen ye eat yer slap Jacks
an 'lasses That's wat them wild waves
is sayin', Peleg, an it's yer poor OF gran
pop th't's tellin' ye so, b'gosht'lmighty,
an We won't listenm
Peleg sat down by the side of the
splint-bottom rocking chair He said
nothing, Lut thought TO himself, as he
toyed with the clothespin, that if the
wild waves had said all that to the
schOolma'm, she must have been more
than pleased at their remarks about the
paddle and the slap-jacks. The Old Set
tier picked up his paper again. Peleg's
grandmother took her knitting and went
off to the ''settin' room, and his grand
father, after finishing the account of the
hog guessing stated that Pete
Hellriggle had won the hog-and remark
ing that if Pete didn't trade the hog of
for a bar'l o. cider the winnin' o. it'd be
a lucky thing fer his family, ez they'd
ben browsin' on sassyfrax all winter, he
turned to Peleg and said:
Yes. my son, that's wat them wild
waves is sayin', an ez yer gran nanny
hain't in hearin' TO git worried at oul
talkiu', I'll tell We wat some wild wave:
done TO me wunst Them waves didn1
say nothin', but they jist got up an done
This happened wen l were a boy, cOnsid
able many year ago. 'Twere on thu
ninth day of April, 1922, in the arter
noon. / were jist comm seven year old
Their had ben big rain fer two or thre,
days, an / know'd tint SlOplick CreeI
must be jist right fer sucker tishin', an S,
/ sneaked my pap's chestnut pole an
/ hOsshair line outen the barn an cut cross
: lots fer the big bend o. the creek, w'icl